Texting While Driving: Lesson Learned

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Sammy Dalfonso has been a driving instructor for 30 years. He teaches at the Buffalo Driving School. He agreed to help us wiht an experiment. We took two young drivers--16 year old Jenna, who has her permit and 17-year old Jenna who has her license--for a drive. Here's the trick, they had to text while they were driving. Dalfonso closely supervised them and we were in a parking lot.

The girls, one by one tried it. They realized how tough it was. Both girls barely missed moving cars headed toward them. Both girls found they were swerving while texting and slowing down. At the end of the test, both girls agreed it was very dangerous. You think you are only looking down but in just 2 seconds, you can travel some 45 feet. That is pretty significant when you think about it.

The American Medical Association has identified texing and driving as a public health risk. In Erie County, you can now be pulled over for texting and driving, since it is no longer a secondary offense.